Quick Tip: Why I Often Prefer “Real” People

Quick Tip: Despite popular opinion, it is not always essential to shoot professional models. For many of my lifestyle shoots, I actually prefer to photograph real people. For example, in this shot for John Deere, I found that real people created a more authentic story/feeling.

This was shot at F/8 @ 1/250 sec. using Canon 5D at 85 mm.

What are you thoughts – do you prefer shooting real people or paid pros?

I think it’s different in different cities. If were living in Enid, OK and was making a living as a photographer then it would be REAL people all the time. However, in Los Angeles, and especially if you are an Editorial Portrait photographer or Commercial Photographer then it’s frowned upon to shoot real people.

I hired a very well known and respected Creative Consultant who loved my work as an Editorial photographer but then chided me for using (and I am quoting her) “not so pretty people who distract from your work.” She was specifically referring to an image I shot of a couple who were artists at Burning Man. That image has been removed from my site but I LOVE that image. So while I would prefer to shoot real people the industries in which we work tend to dictate those choices most times.

Catherine Hall’s exceptional photography has been exhibited throughout Europe and the United States and regularly appears in publications such as New York Times and National Geographic Traveler.
With sponsorships from Epson, SanDisk, and Adobe, with nearly two million social media followers she is an in-demand speaker and judge among heavyweights like Google, Macworld, and WPPI. The former co-host of TWiT Photo (named “Best New Tech Podcast” on iTunes), she is also the creator of Top Model Release, a revolutionary iOS app for photographers.